Nintendo Wii Fit actually helps control diabetes

Nintendo makes you better, fitter, stronger. Like the Sixty Million Dollar Man, machines are helping man become more, but surprisingly it’s a console that’s doing it.

According to research conducted on 220 diabetic patients, playing Nintendo’s Wii Fit Plus for more than half an hour a day over three months can improve healthy. The results showed lower glucose levels and actual weight loss.

Half of that group played the Wii - not the Fit, specifically - and also saw results. Being active is very important for people with diabetes as it helps regulate blood sugar levels.

Professor Stephan Martin and colleagues from the West German Centre for Diabetes and Health, who carried out the study, say exercise computer games offer an alternative way to get people physically active.

Dr Richard Elliott, of Diabetes UK, said: "Computer games that promote a healthy lifestyle might be one way to achieve [better health], but different forms of physical activity might work better for different people. Further research will be needed to identify the long-term effects of such games compared to other approaches."